Help Needed

[Sunnyflower]

Oscar went missing for just over 24 hours on the weekend and we found him under the house stuck with a big piece of mesh around his neck that we had to have cut off.. He hadn't been to the toilet the whole time and the first thing he did was a big wee.. I checked him over and he wasn't in any pain or discomfort just a little quiet which is to be expected.. He has come back into himsel and all crazy which is nice to see until someone just decided to go potty in the lounge room.. My fault I should have taken him but luckily I didn't cause there was blood and a couple of blood clots in his wee.. I will be taking him to the vet tomorrow but to put my mind at ease what could this be? This could be from before he went missing as I never get close enough to see what his pee is like..

[HugUrPup]

Is there a 24 hour emergency vet near you?

[W Sibs]

ohh

if you have an emergency vet hospital near you.. i'll take him to them now.

he could have some internal bleeding.

[poodlefan]

The logical answer is damage to his kidneys or urinary tract.

If hes OK in himself I'd wait till tomorrow but I'd be keeping a close eye on him.

[Larrikin]

I've had male dogs pee blood before. One had stones in his blader and the other one had an kidney infection.

Urinary tract infections are the most common cause of blood in the urine.

Take him to the vets tomorrow they will want a sample of urine. If you have a sterile container, try to get one before you take him in.

Hope this helps.

[Sunnyflower]

Thank you guys. I don't feel as though it requires a rush to the emergency room as he has eaten all of his dinner and been playing with his toys.. He isn't out of character in anyway he is still Oscar. I've just given him some Apple Cider Vinegar in puppy milk which I just read can help it and also with the pain. He isn't showing any signs at all of pain. I will try and get a urine sample in the morning but I don't have a steril container Poodlefan could the kidney or Urinary tract have been damaged from having to hold for so long? Again thank you so much for your help everyone.. It's been a rough few days with my monster..

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

My male peed blood and it was an infection. Hope it's easy to fix.

[Sunnyflower]

Thank you Dogmad I too hope it's nothing serious and easy to fix!

[Cordelia]

Holding on for hours can cause reflux.. urine going back up into the kidneys.. causing quite a nasty infection.

Not an emergency at this point, but definitely head to your vet tomorrow.. even if the blood is no longer coming out.

[Sunnyflower]

Holding on for hours can cause reflux.. urine going back up into the kidneys.. causing quite a nasty infection. Not an emergency at this point, but definitely head to your vet tomorrow.. even if the blood is no longer coming out.

Thank you Cordelia. That makes complete sense!! We'll trot off to the vets tomorrow and get my munchkin sorted.. So hard not to worry though.. 

[Sunnyflower]

Hey Guys,

Just thought I'd give a little update on the monster.

We went to the vet last night and I took a urine sample with me. thankfully he goes potty when asked, he has crystals which is getting testing done on it today to determine what kind of crystals. She is thinking he needs to be on a special diet for the rest of his life.

He is on anti-biotics for 14 days and may have a stone in his bladder which may require surgery. She wasn't sure if he had a full bowel or if it was a stone.

I'm thinking he just hadn't gone potty all day as it was pouring all day yesterday and he wont leave his shed whilst it's raining cause he doesn't like to get his precious paws wet and he isn't having any trouble doing wee's. Either way he will get checked in 2 weeks, if the lumps still there we'll do an ultrasound to determine what exactly it is and go from there.

If he does require surgery to remove it do you think it would be too much to have him desexed at the same time? I will ask the vet when we go back, but just hoping it's possible because I would much prefer him to not have to go through surgery again.

Thank you for all your help guys, It was very much appreciated..

[CavsRcute]

My cavalier went through a time when she was getting UTI's, had a high PH level in the urine and ?struvite crystals.

I started her on Cranberry tablets and she has been really well...and that was 18 months ago

Edited May 27, 2010 by CavsRcute

[Sunnyflower]

My cavalier went through a time when she was getting UTI's, had a high PH level in the urine and ?struvite crystals.

I started her on Cranberry tablets and she has been really well...and that was 18 months ago

Ahhh very interesting.

His PH levels are off she said. Did the vet try and change her diet to a "special diet"??

Where can i get the cranberry tablets from?

[cavNrott]

I've always given my females cranberry tablets as a precaution since my Rottweiler girl had a UTI as a pup.

I have my Cavalier girl on 1 x 5000mg tablet a day and my Rottweiler on 10,000mg per day. After reading about Oscar I think I'll start my boy Cavalier on 5000mg daily.

You can buy cranberry tablets or capsules at the chemist or health food store. Some supermarkets stock it as well.

[Sunnyflower]

I've always given my females cranberry tablets as a precaution since my Rottweiler girl had a UTI as a pup.

I have my Cavalier girl on 1 x 5000mg tablet a day and my Rottweiler on 10,000mg per day. After reading about Oscar I think I'll start my boy Cavalier on 5000mg daily.

You can buy cranberry tablets or capsules at the chemist or health food store. Some supermarkets stock it as well.

Lovely, thank you cavNrott..

I just got the call from the vet and yep his diet has to be changed.

Hills diet prescrition C/D - 4.5kg for $72.. OUCH...

She is saying he is going to have to be on this for the rest of his life and being not quite 2 yet I probably would be able to buy a car by the end of it ;) .. I laugh now but I'll cry later..

Surely there has to be a better alternative out there then just feeding him this. We will do it because we have to but I for some reason get the feeling this vet is overreacting a little and just interested in my money..

You too don't have any more of these issues with your dogs?

[megan_]

Sunnyflower - teh fact that this diet is being recommended to your dog may mean that he has soemthign different than "just" a UTI?

If in doubt, ring the vet. My boy was on a prescription diet for a while, but he only had a temporary ailment.

[Sunnyflower]

Yes he has crystals, the vet has explained this to me. I was only just on the phone to her but from what I have read this is rather common UTI that he has.

I am happy to feed my dog this and would never dispute if this is the only thing that can help him. But with the way the world is and the large amounts of information that there is out there, surely there has to be alternatives. If there isn't thats fine he'll eat it for the rest of his days but it doesn't hurt to do your research.

he has been on the exact same diet since I took him off puppy food at 9 months so the reason I am doing my ground work is because logically this should have happened straight away.. ;)

[tlc]

I spoke to my vet today about this very thing. I have had trouble with my oldest boy with blood in his pee. It began about 12 months ago and I took him to the vet then catetarized him and drained his bladder which was mostly diluted blood and did a test for uti and no uti so then did an ultra sound and could see nothing.

So we were to monitor him and keep an eye on him as the worst thing is if a crystal blocks the uretha they can be in all sorts of trouble. So we watched him closley and after a few days he came good and no more blood.

Fast forward to this week, the blood reappeared and I spoke to the vet today and I told him that a month ago I changed Coopers Diet to eagle pack which he had been having the recommended amount every day and loving it, seems weird that it would present itself a month after a diet change from a bland diet of less quality dry food to a premium dry food.

The vet said could be just coincidence but keep an eye on him and if I can get a sample with the blood in it they will test again. He was not prepared to perscribe a perscription diet with out a proper diagnosis as thier can be a few different reasons the crystals are caused by and each type needs different dietry requirments.

Did your vet do an ultra sound? Did they say that they know which type of crystal it is?

I told my vet that I had cut Coopers diet back to 1/2 eagle pack and 1/2 what he was on before and supplementing with chicken wings or necks, he was happy with that. He said the biggest things to avoid was too much protien and too much magnesium. So for us it is just a waiting game but I do feel that the issue for us was changing Coopers diet and it is tough as he has always been difficult to get to eat and seems to like the EP now I have had to change it again. It is a worry when they have health issues such as these when you don't get answers and everything seems to be a mystery, with Cooper there wasn't anything else the vet could do apart from exploritory surgery and he said that is really a last resort.

[cavNrott]

Just wanted to mention that in dogs who have not been neutered that the prostate can cause problems with blood in the urine as well as causing some difficulty with pooping.

[Turkey Trip]

If the urine is retained over a long period and thus pools in the bladder, it can become very concentrated (& stagnant) and predisposes the bladder to infection - which can show as haematuria. (Blood in urine).

Once the dog is peeing normally again the symptoms usually subside however if there is an ongoing bladder infection, the Vet really should request a culture and sensitivity test to determine the correct antibiotic to use. A bladder infection and thus inflammation, can itself cause/create stones in the bladder.

Recently cared for a dog which had been paralysed due to a prolapsed disc - which also caused it to lose control of its urinary/faecal elimination and continence, but retaining urine as well which caused a urinary tract infection. Treated by a course of antibiotics, the symptoms recurred 2 days after finishing the course. Instead of antibiotics the dog was given actual dried cranberries (the fruit itself) a heaped teaspoonful 2 x day with meals. (16kg dog). Within a day or so the blood in the urine vanished and all signs of the UTI as well. The dog regained continence soon after and has had no further infections, but is given 1 teasp dried Cranberries with its meal each day just as an insurance. He loves the dried fruit and will even eat it from the hand like a treat.

I would try Cranberry as a supplement, either the tablets or the fresh, dried fruit itself. (I found ours at the local IGA)

Once the infection has resolved, there may be no further problem with bladder stones.

JMHO. Based on past experience. ;)